What is… Brand Promise?

A brand promise is the commitment to deliver made between that brand and its audience. Brand promises are specific to the audience sector they speak to; persuasive, but appropriate to the audience.

The obvious use of a brand promise is to encourage the audience to buy the product or participate with your brand.

The efficacy of the promise depends entirely on whether it is believed and delivered upon. Just like the Brand Essence, you must take particular care to develop a promise that inspires, yet is supportable year after year. The promise should indicate what people can expect to receive from your organization in exchange for their money, partnership, or time.

While the brand promise must be crafted, and approved at the most senior level of the organization, it must resonate, and be understood by the most junior employee or removed stakeholder. Promises are made to be kept. Therefore, the brand promise should be carefully aligned with the company’s mission, future vision, and long-term strategic plan.

Finally, by it’s very nature, a carefully crafted brand promise should be should be believable.

To get you thinking about your brand promise, here are some examples from prominent brands:

The NFL: “To be the premier sports and entertainment brand that brings people together, connecting them socially and emotionally like no other”

Virgin: “To be genuine, fun, contemporary, and different in everything we do at a reasonable price”

Gillette Fusion ProGlid: “Against The Grain Closeness, Comfortably”

Geico: “15 Minutes Or Less Can Save You 15% Or More On Car Insurance”

Coca-Cola: “To inspire moments of optimism and uplift”

Google Chrome: “The Web Is What You Make Of It”

Mazda: “Zoom Zoom”

Just remember, a brand promise must be: Concise. Believable. Effective.

Jamie Rose is partner & COO of Momenta Creative. We nicknamed Jamie the “Fun Machine” at the office because of her infectious laugh and unending energy. Don’t let the sparkling personality fool you. Her sharp, plugged-in approach to communications is what landed her previous positions with companies like The New York Times and The Global Fund, and what makes her indispensable to our clients today.